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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. root — of a word
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — to grow
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stand — to bear
  9. scale — in music
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. scale — size or range
  12. drill — army training
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. field — for sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. root — of a plant
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. dip — to sink
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. drill — the tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com